The Life of Nympahdora Tonks
by ReasonsUnknown13
Summary: So what was Tonks in school? How did she learn about her metamorphmagus? Before the whole Lupin thing, she was just a teenager facing the difficulties of homework, pranking and, well, life. TonksOC.
1. Back to School

**Disclaimer: I own nothing recognised from the Harry Potter series.**

**Heya, this fic's about Tonks at school. I'll start it in her 5th year. There will be a few OCs. As its in school, there won't be any Lupin. This is just my view on what Tonks might have gotten up to at Hogwarts, and my idea on how she discovered her Metamorphmagus. **

The Life of Nymphadora Tonks

Chapter 1

"Bye Nymphadora, have fun," my mother bid me farewell.

"For heaven's sake, it's Tonks!" I replied, but hugged her tightly.

"See you at Christmas, honey," she added, and then waved as I ran onto the train.

"Hi Tonks!" Emily Biggins greeted me. She's my best friend.

"Hey Em," I replied with a grin, "You look great!" It was true. Emily was no longer the gangly, skinny girl she'd been at the start of the holidays. She had filled out, acquired a decent tan over the summer, and the braces on her teeth had been taken out, leaving her with big, pearly whites. Her hair had grown past her shoulders, and Emily had had it highlighted blonde. She looked older than fifteen and would definitely be receiving a lot of male attention this year.

"I see you haven't," Em said cheekily, even though it was true. When they started their first year at Hogwarts, I had been average-height, slim, and pale, with shoulder-length mousy brown hair. Which, at the start of fifth, I still was. With the slight exception that I'd gone through puberty. Not that it had made any difference to my height. Sometimes it gets me down. _Everyone_ has changed, even the boys. But I'm still the same as always.

"You've got me there," I retorted, forcing a smile, "Lets go and find a compartment."

We eventually found an empty one, and were joined by two fellow Gryffindor girls, Stella and Lorna. They were best friends, and opposites. Stella was tall with shiny black hair, and Lorna was short with long chestnut hair. Neither could be considered ugly, and they too looked older than years. As the train pulled away we chatted about our summers. Lorna had been to Tenerife and told us all about the Spanish boys who'd chatted her up.

"You know," she said thoughtfully, "it's kind of strange that Tonks' appearance hasn't changed since we've started Hogwarts." Trust Lorna always to speak her mind. The others nodded in agreement and looked puzzled.

"Maybe you should go and speak to Madam Pomfrey," Stella suggested, "I mean, the only difference since I've known you is that you've grown boobs. Not even your hair has changed. When did you last get a haircut?" I blushed.

"I can't remember. I've not needed one in ages, because I never get split ends," I answered, and they all gaped at me.

"Don't you ever fancy just getting a change?" Lorna asked. Great. Why had the inquisition started so soon? We'd been travelling for, what, thirty minutes?

"I did once. At the beginning of the summer holidays before 4th year I got it cut, feathered, and dyed red. It looked great, but the next morning it was the exact same as it had been before. My mum took me down to the hairdressers and demanded an explanation, but they had no idea what had happened," I explained. Lorna and Stella didn't look like they believed me.

"You should've got a refund," Stella said, fiddling with her own perfect hair.

"They did it again, and this time Andy took a picture," I sighed. The story annoyed me.

"Andy?" Lorna asked.

"Her mum," Emily replied. I call my mum Andy. It's short for her real name, Andromeda. She's cool.

"We took a picture, but it had gone back to normal the next day again," I grumbled, "and we went to St. Mungo's, but they couldn't find anything wrong with me." The others smiled apologetically, and changed the subject.

"I saw Dave on the platform," Lorna said coyly, "and he's grown over the holidays." Stella's eyes lit up over the Ravenclaw boy.

"Me too! He looks good!" she exclaimed, "but you can have him, Lor." Em and I rolled our eyes at them.

"I still like Gary, anyway," Stella continued. She'd liked the handsome Hufflepuff for months.

"I'm still into Jake," Em spoke up, talking about one of our fellow Gryffindors, "him, Tom and Mike are just hilarious." She was right. Jake Simms, Tom Smith, and Mike Mitchell were the only three boys in our house, but were by far the funniest in the school.

"Who do you like?" Lorna asked, whilst filing her nails.

"No-one," I replied, "I'm a nun." Stella raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah, right, I'll believe _that_ when I see it," she laughed. I knew she wouldn't believe me. You'd have to be pretty stupid if you did. But I genuinely didn't fancy anyone. And no one liked me in that way either, so why bother?

The compartment door opened, and Jake, Tom and Mike came in. They knew us well and had brought food.

"Oh goody!" Lorna said flirtatiously, helping herself to a chocolate frog.

"So I take it we can sit here, then," Jake smirked, and sprawled beside Em. Tom and Mike also sat down. Even I had to admit, these were three decent-looking guys. Jake was tall and tanned, with blond hair that flopped over his forehead. He spends most of his time either eating or duelling.

Tom is easily the smartest, but you'd never guess. He's also tall and tanned, but has longish curly brown hair. He likes to go swimming in the lake, and you can have great conversations with him.

And Mike is just Mike. We share a quidditch brain, as we're both Chasers and are able to communicate without speaking. Mike is tall, and has a mop of brown hair, and green eyes. His skin is extremely pale, and he burns easily, like mine. Personally, I think he has the best sense of humour out of the three. Emily disagrees. One, because she's smitten with Jake, and two, because I 'apparently' talk to Mike the most.

"So how was everyone's summer?" Tom asked. We all answered accordingly, and then started talking in little groups. Jake couldn't take his eyes off of Em, so they'll probably get together soon. Stella and Lorna started a conversation about a new shop in Diagon Alley, which Tom (goodness knows why) happily joined in with. Mike, on the other hand, turned away in disgust as soon as he heard the word 'clothes'. So we chatted about games we went to over the summer.

"I saw you at the last Wasps game," he said, "That was great, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," I agreed, "Bridge is such an amazing player." After swapping quidditch stories, it turned to our own quidditch team.

"I bet Hughes will work us hard," he said knowingly, "This is his last year." I groaned. We also had our OWLs this year. Already I could tell this year was going to be chaotic.

The rest of the time flew by and pretty soon we were pulling into Hogsmeade station, where we got in the horseless carriages. Lorna and Stella ran off to travel with Dave, Gary, and the rest of the preppy boys. Em and I went with Jake, Tom and Mike. We took our usual seats at the Gryffindor table. The very back ones. Stella and Lorna came back. Lorna was overjoyed because Dave asked her on a walk.

"We're going to just go for a stroll, and who knows what could happen," she said excitedly. After the feast she practically galloped over to him, and off they went.

"She seriously doesn't know how to act cool," Mike murmured to me, as we made our way to the Common Room, "I'd give it a week tops." We both laughed, and I noticed Em looking at me weirdly.

"What is it?" I asked, when we were in the dorms changing into our nightclothes. Stella was in the bathroom, and Lorna was still out.

"Is there anything going on between you and Mike?" she asked, grinning. For Merlin's sake! Can't a girl and a guy just be friends?

"Nope," I replied sincerely, because nothing was. Em chewed her lip thoughtfully.

"I suppose that's a good thing. Laura really likes him, you know," she said. Laura was Em's friend in Ravenclaw. She's really clever and intimidating. She has platinum blonde hair and big blue eyes and is really girly.

"Really?" I asked, surprised. Personally, I didn't think Mike would go at all for her. She's too…uptight.

"Yeah, she told me just there, when you and Mike were whispering away," Em explained. I felt my face redden. Mike had been telling me that Jake is planning on asking Em out, and that Tom was hoping to impress one of the Hufflepuff bimbos with his diving skills. Luckily Em didn't notice my beetroot face, so I got away with it.

Around ten o'clock we got fed up waiting for Lorna so we all said goodnight and went to sleep.

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The next morning I woke up to the sound of Stella singing. It wasn't pleasant. She's tone deaf for one thing.

"Shut up," Em groaned, pulling the covers over her head. She certainly isn't a morning person. When it became clear Stella wasn't going to shut up, I reluctantly got up. Em was still hidden, but Lorna had propped herself up and was grinning like a Cheshire cat. I remembered her little rendezvous and became wide-awake.

"So…?" I prompted her. If possible, she smiled even wider.

"So what?" she asked evilly. Why was she doing this?

"Stop it!" Em shouted, jumping up and out of bed, "just tell us what happened!" Lorna pouted.

"Alright, already! We went for a walk, and we were just talking about random stuff. Then we reached the 3rd floor and he took my hand and started telling me how beautiful I am. Then he cupped my chin and kissed me on the lips. It was just a little kiss but it made my legs turn to jelly. Then he asked me if I'd go to Hogsmeade with him, and I accepted. And one thing led to another…" she broke off looking embarrassed.

"So you went and made out in a broom cupboard for 5 hours," Stella finished for her, emerging form the bathroom. We all laughed, and got dressed.

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"Morning," Mike said, stifling a yawn, as I down beside me. He reached for a piece of toast and started buttering it.

"Hi," I greeted him, reading my timetable. I put it away in my bag.

"Want some toast?" he asked.

"Please," I replied, looking about for the pumpkin juice. Mike put the toast he'd just finished buttering on my plate, and got himself a new bit.

"Um, Mike, you don't need to give me _your_ toast," I said pointedly. He ignored me and started eating his own bit. Opposite us, Em was looking suspiciously at me again, and Jake was loading his plate high with eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, muffins and ketchup, and he poured himself a big bowl of porridge. His appetite never ceases to amaze me.

I started eating my own toast (well, Mike's) whilst looking up and down the table for the jug of juice. All the nearby ones were empty. Finally I spied a jug at the bottom of the table. It had about a goblet-full in it, so I filled mine up and took it back to my seat.

"I've got Divination first," Em was saying.

"I'm in Arithmancy," I said, eating some more of my toast. I took a drink form my goblet and set it back on the table.

"Me too," added Mike, lifting my goblet up and drinking from it. This time Em _definitely _looked at me weirdly. As Mike had drank most of my juice I went over to the Ravenclaw table and filled it up. When I came back, Laura was in my seat. She was sort of having a conversation with Mike. Truth be told, he wasn't paying her a lot of attention. He saw me reappear and moved along so there was a gap in between him and Laura for me. But then she moved up so the gap was between her and Tom. I sat down in it.

"So, Mike, as you were saying," Laura carried on, smiling sweetly at him. He stared back blankly.

"Um, I don't think I was saying anything," he said finally, and reached across her to pick up my goblet. It was almost full but by the time he'd drunk from it, it was almost empty. Again. And poor Laura looked like she'd received a slap to the face. It really didn't help when the bell rang. I was standing beside Tom, when Mike came up and tugged my arm.

"Come on, let's go," he grumbled, and we walked to Arithmancy.

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At night Em and I were in the dorm on our own. We didn't know where the others were.

"Laura's upset," Em said calmly, "because Mike paid her no attention at all, but he paid you loads." I raised my eyebrows.

"Well, duh, we're mates," I replied sarcastically. Em smiled.

"I know, but she's really jealous."

"That's stupid. She should talk to him about quidditch, or something that he's interested in," I yawned, getting into bed. Em climbed into her own bed.

"Night," she called.

"Night," I replied, and fell fast asleep. For the first time in years I had a dream.

_It was a_ _lovely sunny day. I was walking barefoot through the luscious green grass. I reached the lake and dipped my feet in. I ran my fingers through my long, sand coloured hair. It was getting late. I raised one of my tanned wrists to check my watch. 7 o'clock. I stood up. Then I walked back through the grass, until I reached a waterfall. I glanced at my reflection. My big blue eyes sparkled wildly. Something form behind me gave me a huge push. I fell into the lake with a big splash. But I never reached the bottom…_

BANG!

I woke up on the floor in a cold sweat.

"Are you alright?" Em whispered. I had obviously woken her up. I raised my head to look at her.

"Yeah," I replied, "bad dream." Her eyes opened widely in horror as she caught sight of me.

"_Oh my god._"

**A/N Plz R&R**


	2. Oh My God

**Disclaimer: I own nothing recognised from the Harry Potter series.**

**Heya, this fic's about Tonks at school. It's started in her 5th year. There are a few OCs. As its in school, there isn't any Lupin. This is just my view on what Tonks might have gotten up to at Hogwarts, and my idea on how she discovered her Metamorphmagus. **

_**Previously: **_

_BANG!_

_I woke up on the floor in a cold sweat. _

"_Are you alright?" Em whispered. I had obviously woken her up. I raised my head to look at her._

"_Yeah," I replied, "bad dream." Her eyes opened widely in horror as she caught sight of me._

"Oh my god_."_

The Life of Nymphadora Tonks

Chapter 2

"_Oh my god!_" Emily cried again. I jumped to my feet.

"What? What?" I yelped. Phew. I wasn't on fire. Em was staring at me in horror.

"Holy cow! Jeez Louise! Oh my god!" she practically screamed. Once she'd ran out of blasphemes she gave a strangled cry,

"The mirror!"

I glanced over at the mirror. Yes. Nice. That made a lot of sense.

"No, look in it! At _you!_" Em moaned, stricken.

Surely she was over-reacting a little bit. But I did what she wanted.

"Bloody _hell_," I gasped, "what on _earth_ has happened?"

Em was finally recovering.

"You- you- you-" Okay, maybe she wasn't. But, man, had we both got a shock. You see, when I looked in the mirror I was expecting to see me; straggly brown hair, brown eyes, pale skin. Only instead, I was _bald!_ Seriously. My head was like a bowling ball. Not a single hair on it. And there weren't any hairs in my bed either.

"Nooooo," I wailed, patting my head. It was all smooth and round.

"You've got cancer!" Em shrieked. I shushed her.

"You'll wake them!" I whispered, "but I don't have cancer. You don't lose your hair 'til after, and it falls out gradually."

Em exhaled.

"Thank god," she sighed, "but what on earth's happened?"

Ah. That is the question.

"I don't know," I replied, climbing back into bed.

"You should go to the Hospital Wing," Em said seriously.

"In the morning," I yawned. I was tired, and it would give me a good use for my woolly hat.

"Ok, 'night," Em murmured, falling asleep. It didn't take me long to follow.

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I awoke to Stella's singing.

"_Oh what a beautiful MAAAAAORNIIIING!_"

I sat up groggily. Stella was in the shower and Lorna was sitting on her bed. Em, like me, was just surfacing. I yawned and sleepily brushed a strand of hair off of my face. Wait a minute! Wide awake, I felt my head. Hair. I leapt out of bed and ran to the mirror. I had a full head of hair.

"Omigod," I exclaimed, running my fingers through it. Lorna was eyeing me warily.

"Have you got nits?" she asked in horror.

"No!" I said quickly, "I was just – surprised."

Hearing us talking, Em sat up. Her eyes landed on me and widened.

"Was it a dream?" she asked in disbelief. Stella came back in from her shower.

"Was what a dream?" she asked. Lorna also looked curious.

"I had a dream and fell out of bed. Em woke up and I was bald," I rushed. Both girls blinked.

"Bald?"

"Is this a joke?"

"No!" Em exclaimed, "She was seriously _bald_."

They didn't seem to believe us. But even I was having trouble, and I had been _there._ It had been my head, for goodness sake! Hopefully next time – wait, next time? I wasn't planning on it happening anytime soon. But if it _did_, hopefully it wouldn't be in the middle of the night with only Em and me to witness it.

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Breakfast wasn't particularly great. I think everyone was tired. Even Tom. He only had two platefuls of food today. Then Em had to practically hold his head up so he didn't fall asleep at the table.

"What were you guys _up _to, last night?" Lorna asked incredulously. Of course she was wide awake. She and Dave had gone for a 'walk' earlier.

"Wishtaydpawnigh," Jake groaned, banging his head off the table. Stella and I were mystified.

"You stayed up all night?" Em asked, "doing what?"

The three boys exchanged looks.

"On second thought, don't answer that," Em said quickly, shaking her head. Ha. What a joke.

"They sneaked out to play quidditch, Em," I said, and the boys' jaws dropped.

"Of course she knows," Mike sighed. I rolled my eyes, but before I could answer we were joined by a very welcome visitor.

"Good morning everyone!" Laura crooned. Upon realising there were no seats, she settled for standing behind Mike. I finished eating and decided I couldn't be bothered listening to her simpering.

"Bye," was all I said when I got up. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Mike. He had a strange look on his face. Almost… Nah, it couldn't be. It had _looked _like disappointment, but it must have been boredom. Yeah, that makes more sense. Who doesn't Laura bore the socks off? Oops. I'm being bitchy. I'm sorry. I'm _sure _Laura's a really nice girl.

Snort.

Oh well, maybe some people are attracted to that.

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Divination was a laugh. It always is. No one takes it seriously. Professor Dawdle _thinks _she can read teacups and crystal balls, but we know better.

"Everyone!" Dawdle announced hoarsely, "collect your balls and set them up." This simple instruction caused uproar.

"I've already got mine," a boy called cheekily. The girls around him giggled.

"_Crystal _balls, Chuckson," Dawdle snapped. We all obeyed and set them up.

"I see… a big, grey cloud," Mike declared, lounging back on his chair, "that'll do." He'd barely even checked. I told him so.

"Doesn't matter," he replied cockily, "she'll eat it up." He was right.

"Who's Mr Arrogant, eh?" I asked, gazing into my own crystal ball. Yep, there was definitely something there. A…

"Mister Mitchell," Dawdle murmured, "tell me what you see."

"A big, grey cloud," he answered proudly. Dawdle nodded vigorously.

"Perfect, 20 points. Tonks, what about you?" Her gaze hardened as it landed on me. I checked my crystal ball again.

"Well, there's a… It seems to be…" I drifted off into silence.

"A big, grey cloud," Mike spoke up. Dawdle surveyed him thoughtfully.

"Excellent, Mister Mitchell, you have a real talent for this. Take another 20 points," she praised, and floated off.

Wow.

Now I had to wait for the bragging to begin. Which it would, because Mike _loves _to be right. And he'd, once again, beaten me. Grr.

"You owe me," was all he drawled, leaning back and swinging. Okay. Strange. He was most definitely not himself. Ah, but he was tired. Yes. That explains it.

The bell rang, yanking me out of my daydream.

We got up and went to the trapdoor. I waited to descend the ladder, but Mike pushed ahead. Unlike a normal person, he jumped down. I swear Mike's like a cat. He lands on both feet, not feeling a thing. He even jumps whole staircases. Lazy git. When I was down (the normal way, may I fret) Mike was waiting.

"Beat you," he grinned.

"Cheat," I taunted.

"You could've jumped it as well," he pointed out.

"I'm not _you_," I replied.

"It doesn't hurt," he protested.

"Says you," I mocked.

"I could catch you easily," Mike added. This conversation was getting pointless.

"Why are we discussing this? It's never going to happen," I said crossly. We'd reached our Charms class.

"Is this because I beat you in Div?" Mike wanted to know.

"_No_, for goodness sake, I'm not _that _crass," I snapped, and took a seat beside Em.

"Don't say a word," I warned Em, as she opened her mouth. She closed it. We passed the rest of the lesson in silence.

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"Have you heard? It's great!" Lorna squealed. She had saved us seats for dinner. I noticed Dave had joined us. Lorna waited until everyone was there before continuing,

"There's gonna be a ball! A _Halloween _ball. Isn't it great?"

Totally. And no, you didn't imagine the sarcasm.

"So," Lorna beamed, "Dave and I are going together. As Cinderella and Prince Charming. I can't wait! Only 2 weeks!"

Stella smiled dreamily.

"I hope Todd will ask me," she sighed, "and I'll go as a fairy."

The ball seemed to be the new hot topic. Everyone was wondering what band Dumbledore would get to play at it. And what the cut-off age was. Their questions were answered at the end of dinner.

"Yes, we are having live entertainment," Dumbledore informed, "and it will be for 4th year and above."

Sighs of relief and sighs of despair echoed through the hall.

"But you may bring a younger student as your partner," Dumbledore continued cheerfully, and bade us goodnight.

Em and I walked together.

"I really want to go with Jake," she wailed, "but he won't ask me!" This was true, but I promised her I'd do what I could.

"Laura's going to ask Mike," Em said, watching me closely.

"Really? Good for her," I replied calmly. I knew she wanted a reaction. Truth be told, I _felt_ like reacting. The thought of Laura going with Mike tugged at something inside me.

"You don't care?" Em questioned. I hesitated. "You _do!_ I knew it!"

My face felt hot.

"No!" I protested, but it fell on deaf ears. Em was dancing about.

"I knew it! You _like_ him!" she sang, "you'd better beat Laura to it. Mike's too nice to turn her down."

"Don't you believe it," I grumbled. Em ignored me.

"This is fantastic!" she whooped.

"Wait a minute," I interrupted, "yesterday you were telling me to back off!" Em flushed a little.

"You're my best friend!" she said quickly, "I should be behind you."

After that little comment Em conveniently avoided my eyes. It wasn't my fault I was suspicious. Thinking about it, she'd been weird ever since lunch.

I wonder why?

**A/N I know it took ages to write the next chapter but I promise I'll put more on soon this time. Please review **

**Thanks to Em, Black Flaming Heart, shelly & Mysti for reviewin the last chapter **

**BeatlesxMania **


	3. Who nose?

**Disclaimer: I own nothing recognised from the Harry Potter series.**

**Heya, this fic's about Tonks at school. It's started in her 5th year. There are a few OCs. As its in school, there isn't any Lupin. This is just my view on what Tonks might have gotten up to at Hogwarts, and my idea on how she discovered her Metamorphmagus.**

The Life of Nymphadora Tonks

Chapter 2

Before we knew it, it was the weekend. Yes. Finally. The amount of homework we had was phenomenal. Still, it could wait until Sunday. Saturdays were for Hogsmeade and Quidditch. Especially, says Lorna, since there's a ball. A ball! Wow! Isn't that _so_ neat? Yeah, thought so.

In the morning we left early. Em, Lorna, Stella, Mike, Tom, Jake and I piled into one carriage. I ended up practically sitting in Tom's lap. Comfy.

"This is comfy, isn't it?" he asked, reading my mind. I wriggled about, but no use. I was still sitting on him.

"Sit still!" Lorna cried when I nearly kicked her. And when I say nearly kicked her, I mean my foot moved an inch in her direction. Lorna sighed and took out her compact mirror. That girl is _so_ vain. Sucking in her cheeks, she powdered her face. All eyes were on her. It was the only entertainment we had.

"Stop watching me!" Lorna laughed, slipping the make-up back in her bag, "it's only make-up." I shifted about on Tom's lap again.

"Your knee is going up my crack!" I said, much louder than I intended. Everyone stared.

"Sorry," Tom laughed, "look, go here." He moved me so I was closer to him, on his actual lap, not his knees. Much better. The rest of the journey was quite eventful. We were all in high spirits. Everyone except Mike, who snapped every time someone spoke to him. When the carriage door was opened he was the last one out. And he didn't utter a word on the way to the costume shop.

"I'm looking for Cinderella," Lorna reminded us, as if we would forget. After a few minutes searching she found a fancy white gown. She excitedly tried it on, swearing Dave would 'simply _love_' it. Meanwhile Stella had changed her mind. Instead of a fairy she was going to go as a maid. After they'd both purchased their costumes they went off together, in search of Dave and his mates. Em took me to one side.

"If I drag Mike and Tom into Honeydukes will you talk to Jake? Please?" she begged.

"Sure," I said, and her face lit up.

"Oh, thank you, you're the best!" Em squealed, and we joined the boys again.

"I fancy some chocolate," Em announced when we reached the sweet shop.

"Some of us should wait outside in case Lorna and Stella look for us," I said. Em grabbed Mike.

"You can show me which one is the caramel one," she told him, "and Tom? Can you come and show me where the Cockroach Cluster are?" Not very subtle, but it got the three of them in the sweet shop. It also made Jake curious.

"Why didn't she ask me?" he wondered, "She usually does." He looked gutted. Yes. Hopefully this would be easy.

"Maybe she likes one of them," I said lightly. That seemed to hurt him.

"But… _They_ don't like her that way," he said, almost sadly. I shrugged. Inside I was delighted. It was turning out better than I hoped.

"Well, who does like her?" I asked innocently, "Maybe she just wants some attention." Jake's face fell.

"I've not been giving her enough, have I?" he mumbled, not really expecting an answer. He was staring at the wall. I put on a surprised face.

"Are you saying that _you_ like her?" I asked, crossing my toes. Jake blushed a bit.

"I suppose, yeah, I do," he answered cautiously, "but swear you won't tell anyone?" Yes! Result! I am the best!

"I won't," I promised, "but you should ask her to the Halloween party." Jake seemed to be considering it, when he finally glanced around.

"Whoa! What the _hell?_" he gasped when he saw me. Uh oh. I didn't like the sound of this. Jake was still staring at me in horror.

"You- You- Your nose!" he stuttered, rooted to the spot. I raised a hand to my nose. Or rather, where my nose should've been.

"Aaaaaaargh!" I screamed, feeling the flatness, "Aaaaaaaaaaaargh!"

"Bloody hell, bloody hell!" Jake cursed. I opened my bag and took out a mirror. Oh my god. I looked so strange. Unbelievable even. I'd never seen anyone without a nose before. But what if it never came back? I looked like a freak.

"Aaaaaaaaargh!" I screamed again, putting away the mirror, "Aaaaaaaaaaaargh!" I jumped about, getting more and more wound up.

"Bloody hell! Bloody hell!" Jake was still yelling. We ran about in circles, shouting, until we were interrupted.

"What are you two doing?" It was Em. She was eyeing us warily. Tom was behind her, laughing at us. Mike was behind him, scowling. I groaned.

"It's so awful!" I wailed, "Isn't it?" Em looked confused.

"Her _nose!_" Jake cried.

"My _nose!_" I echoed tearfully. Em still looked nonplussed. Even Tom was mystified. Mike was still scowling, not even listening.

"What about your nose?" Em asked, watching my face. I lifted a hand to where my nose should've been – wait a minute! It was there.

"My nose!" I cried joyfully, "Oh man, Em, it was like the other night." Em got what I meant and her mouth fell open.

"It happened _again?_"

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"I did as you said," was all I told Em about my conversation with Jake. It didn't seem right to betray his confidence. Besides, I was sure he would ask her.

"Never mind that," Em exclaimed, "Wait 'til you hear this!" She ran and checked there was no one outside the dormitory door.

"Inside Honeydukes, Tom turned to Mike and went 'What's up with you?' Mike gave him one hell of a look and ignored him, so I asked the same question," Em told me, settling down on her bed. Everyone else was at dinner. I was getting ready for Quidditch, and Em was keeping me company.

"Then what?" I asked. This might be the clue to Mike's behaviour the past week. Em was practically bursting with excitement.

"So we finally got it out of him," she continued, "And get this! You know how he's been so moody and grumpy?" I nodded. "That's because Laura asked him to the dance!" Oh. Bit of a let down. I had hoped the excuse was something more… exciting.

"Good for him," I shrugged, "hopefully he'll have a good time."

Em was still grinning.

"But he's not going with her!" she carried on, "she asked him, and he said he was going with someone else!" This was news to me.

"Who's he going with?" I asked curiously. Em sighed heavily.

"No, he _said_ he was going with someone else," she said, exasperated, "_then_, Laura asked who, and he said _you!_"

What?

"That's why he's been so angry!" Em finished triumphantly. Okay. I was definitely missing something here.

"He feels guilty for lying?" I asked, finding it hard to believe. This was Mike. He was a champion liar. It was always him who got us out of class for Quidditch practice, and made up excuses for our homework not being in.

"No!" Em groaned, "He isn't guilty, he's jealous." I snorted.

"Mike doesn't have a jealous bone," I said, "unless you're going to a Quidditch match he wants to go to."

"And that is _exactly_ why he's jealous," Em replied sarcastically, "but I _thought_ you'd want to know. Obviously I was wrong." I began to feel guilty.

"Sorry, Em, I _am_ interested," I said, and she lightened up again.

"Good. Because you're the _reason_ he's jealous." This was making absolutely no sense at all.

"Come again?" I asked blankly. Em rolled her eyes.

"Okay, I'll spell it out for you. Mike told Laura that he was going to the party with you. Because he likes you and it slipped out. So that's why he's been jealous, because you've not been _as _friendly to him as usual, but more friendly to other guys."

"He _likes _me?" I couldn't believe my ears. Em grinned again.

"Yes," she replied, "so today, when you were sitting on Tom, and when we left you alone with Jake, he was _jealous_. That's why he was angry." This day was getting weirder and weirder. But it _did _make sense.

"Wait!" I frowned, "how have I not been _as_ friendly?" Em chewed her lip.

"Mike said that you acted normal until Laura started talking to him, then ever since you've been pretty vague with him. Like in Divination." I was outraged.

"That was because she was boring me!" I cried defensively, "And in Div _he _was the one who wasn't acting normal because he didn't brag about getting it all right!"

"Because you had been funny, leaving breakfast early!" Em shot back.

"Whose side are you on?" I protested. Em punched her pillow.

"Yours," she replied quietly, "you know that. But he really does like you. I just knew exactly how he was feeling. The same way I feel. You know, when the person you like only sees you as a friend."

I really had to go to Qudditch practice, so our conversation was cut short. It didn't take me long to grab my broom and gear, and run down, but I was still the last there. But what else is new? There're only two girls on our team. Me, and the Keeper, Gail. Gregory Hughes, the captain, is a Chaser along with Mike and me. Two 6th year boys are Beaters, Ben and Bob, and our Seeker is a redhead called Charlie. We're a kick-ass team.

"Hey Tonks," Gail greeted me. She's in 6th year, and is really nice.

"Hi," I replied, changing at lightning speed. We listened to Hughes pep talk, and then kicked off. First we practised drills. Then we had a mini game. But with Mike and I not talking meant we couldn't communicate properly, which meant a lot of fluff-ups. Hughes yelled at us to get our act together. It was then that I realised my broom handle was really soft. Like it had a layer of fabric around the wood. My first mistake was taking my eye off the quaffle to glance down. My second mistake was to scream at the hideous sight. Mike's mistake was to throw the quaffle as hard as he could at me. It socked me on the head, and that's all I could remember.

I woke up in the Hospital Wing with stars in my eyes. Shaking them away, I sat up. Madam Pomfrey was leaning over me.

"Well, Tonks, that was a nasty bump. Luckily my bruising potion worked a treat," she said brightly, "but that's not what's worrying me." I couldn't think of anything that _could _be worrying her. Then again, I couldn't think at all. It hurt too much.

"It gave all of your team mates a fright. And myself too, actually. I took some pictures," Pomfrey added, pulling out some photos. I glanced at it and shrieked. Everything came flooding back.

"That's what distracted me!" I cried. What I had thought was fabric had actually been my own hands. But they hadn't been _my _hands. They had been the hands of a mutant. Or at least an animal. Hair had covered every inch of flesh. Thick, curly brown hair. It had horrified me.

"The thing is, Tonks," Pomfrey continued, "it disappeared within minutes of you being here. Without a trace!" I quickly explained about the hair and nose incidents. Madam Pomfrey was confused, but couldn't keep me in.

"Alright, get back to your dormitory," she sighed, and I rushed off.

My broom was lying on my bed.

"Mike dropped it in," Em explained, "he was almost crying."

"It wasn't his fault," I replied, and told her what had happened. She was as confused as me.

"Still, he shouldn't have flung it that hard," she yawned, and we both went to bed.

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Sunday morning was an awkward one. Thankfully there were no 'incidents'. But breakfast was rather strained. In the end I just got up and went. As it was a nice day I took my books down beside the lake to do my homework. By ten o'clock I'd finished Charms and Potions, but I was struggling with Divination. Someone came and flung themselves down beside me. I knew who it was, but didn't look up.

"Hey," Mike sighed, glancing over my shoulder. He plonked his own books down beside mine.

"Hey," I answered, still frowning over my book. He worked silently for a while, on what looked like Herbology homework. Yes, it was the essay I'd written the other day. Distractedly, I watched Mike write.

"You'd actually get that done if you stopped looking at mine," he spoke up, pausing for a minute, "And that's the wrong page." He continued writing, well, scribbling. I glanced at my own book. The page I'd been staring at for ages was about the moon. I checked my parchment. The question was on one of _Jupitor's _moons. Oh. I felt like an idiot. Flushing I turned to the right page and was able to answer the question. Then I got stuck on the next one. I drummed my fingers on the book, and hummed a tune. I fidgeted with my quill and played with the pages in the book. Mike sighed exasperatedly.

"Do you need help?" he asked, putting his essay down. He checked my parchment and gave me the next few answers. The corners of his lips were twitching.

"Stop laughing at me!" I said indignantly, finally cracking a smile. He grinned back. Things were cool. For now.

**A/N R&R please.**

**Thanks to Iona & Bex for reviewing**

**BeatlesxMania xx**


	4. Just Grin and Beard It

**Disclaimer: I own nothing recognised from the Harry Potter series.**

**Heya, this fic's about Tonks at school. It's started in her 5****th**** year. There are a few OCs. As its in school, there isn't any Lupin. This is just my view on what Tonks might have gotten up to at Hogwarts, and my idea on how she discovered her Metamorphmagus.**

**A/N Sorry for the long wait!! Here's chapter 4!**

The Life of Nymphadora Tonks

Chapter 4

For the next couple of weeks nothing out of the ordinary happened. Well, tell a lie, Jake _finally_ asked Em to the Halloween party. She's over the moon; I can hardly get her to shut up. Although, she says they're taking things slow to begin with. But still! I'm the one she keeps up all night because she's all hyped up. Lorna and Stella, lucky bums, are able to ignore her, but no… _I'm_ the one who's tired and grumpy.

Anyway, after the quidditch incident there had been no more 'accidents', which was just as well really, because they were freaking me out! Firstly, I had been bald, but in the morning I had a whole head of hair again. Secondly, I had had no nose, but the next minute it had reappeared. Thirdly, my hands had been furry, but the hair had disappeared within minutes. And there was no explanation! All Madam Pomfrey had said, was that it must be the magic in me bubbling about. Aye right, it's not happened to any other student, has it?

"You don't know that, Tonks, do you?" Em had pointed out, "It's not like _you're _parading it about, so why would others?"

Okay, fine, but it shouldn't happen again, as everyone knows things happen in threes, so my luck should be looking up!

Little did I know, life doesn't always go according to plan.

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"Morning," I yawned, taking a seat beside Tom.

"Hey, how are you?" he replied, looking remarkably perky.

"Alright, thanks, yourself?" I answered, and helped myself to some toast. Across from me, Jake was tucking into his usual plateful of food, which was only his first helping of the day. He still had another couple to go, depending on how hungry he was. The whole table was basically silent, as it was simply too early in the morning for normal conversation.

"What have we got first again?" I asked, my voice echoing around the hall.

"Divination," Mike spoke up with a grin. Only he could get that excited over crystal balls and tealeaves. Shudder.

"How could I have forgotten?" I remarked dryly, but smiled nonetheless. It _was _an amusing lesson.

Once in Divination, Mike and I took our usual seats at the back. The seats there are the most comfortable, and it means you're not constantly in Dawdle's face.

"Everyone listen!" Dawdle called, "We'll start the lesson with some crystal ball gazing, and after that we will try something new and exciting!" The class simply couldn't contain their excitement; yawns and sighs filled the air.

"Wow, sounds fun," Mike grinned. I threw my quill at him, and it hit him in the arm.

"Hey! That was your quidditch arm!" he complained.

"Get over yourself," was all I replied, and turned my attention to the crystal ball. Aha! There was a shadow that appeared to be in the shape of a spiral. I flipped open my copy of Unfogging the Future, and looked up 'spiral'.

"_This means that there are mixed feelings circling in your environment_," I read aloud, "_If a cross is also present, this signals that you are approaching a crossroad in your life and will soon have to make a decision before the final outcome_. Weird." I peered into the ball, trying to find a cross, but there wasn't one.

"I've got a cross," Mike spoke up, and I leant over his crystal ball. Sure enough, there was definitely a cross there.

"That means you're approaching a crossroad in your life," I quoted, giving him an intelligent nod.

"You have no idea what you're talking about, do you?" Mike asked, with an amused smile on his face. My own face fell.

"No," I replied dejectedly. Mike rolled his eyes before turning back to his book. I determinedly scrutinised my crystal ball for another clue.

"Check the bottom left corner," Mike drawled, without looking up. Bemused, I followed his instruction. Low and behold, there was a tiny shape, which I could just about identify. It was a circle with tiny spokes sticking out either end of it. I checked in my book, and found the information on it.

"_This sign shows that although you have a problem, it will soon be resolved,_" I read, "Is that all?"

"Yes," said Mike, and closed his book, "I've had enough."

I closed my own book and thought about the information I'd just received. Apparently there were mixed feelings in my environment that just weren't going away. Could that possibly be aimed at Mike and I? We'd been getting on well the last couple of weeks, but I could still remember what Em had told me about him. Also, I supposedly had a problem, which would be resolved soon. Somehow I had a feeling it had nothing to do with what I should dress up as for Halloween. But what did that leave? I didn't have any problems, except for the- nah, that had stopped. It had been weeks since the 'accidents'. That only left the Mike and I situation, only I couldn't see what the problem could be.

"Right, Mitchell, what have you got?" Dawdle's voice interrupted my thoughts. Mike glanced lazily into his crystal ball, before turning to face the teacher.

"I'm at a crossroads in life, and will have to make a decision soon," he announced, completely copying what I'd just told him. Dawdle smiled widely.

"Excellent, Mitchell, have 20 points!" she gushed, and turned to me, "Tonks?"

"I have a problem which will soon be resolved and there are mixed feelings around me," I answered, pleased that for once I had found something. However, Dawdle was eyeing my crystal ball with disdain.

"Come on, Tonks," she sighed in exasperation, "You have the most basic reading here. What does a large foggy shape mean?" Confused, I glanced at my crystal ball, and was astonished to discover that it had completely changed. My spiral and circle were no longer there. Instead, only a big cloud could be seen.

"The cloud means that the future is unclear," Mike volunteered the answer, before I could get my head around the change.

"Fantastic!" Dawdle praised, and awarded Mike another 20 points. Grumpily, I put the crystal ball away. The rest of the lesson passed in a blur, and soon we were walking to our next lesson.

"That was strange, I can't believe it changed that quickly!" I exclaimed, and Mike agreed.

"I've never seen that happen before," he added, turning to face me. His eyes widened. "What the hell?" he gaped, eyeing me warily. I could feel a slight tickling sensation on my chin and my upper lip. Reaching my hand up, I rubbed my chin. It was hairy! I was growing a beard!

"Oh no! Help!" I cried, feeling my chin again. The hair was even longer now. "It's still growing!"

Without thinking, I turned and ran to the nearest bathroom. Once inside, I ran to the mirror. My jaw hit the floor. The hair was rapidly covering my chin, and the hair on my lip was practically a moustache. Tears welled up in my eyes. Why was this happening to me?

"Tonks?" Mike entered the bathroom, "You okay?" I sniffed, and covered the bottom half of my face.

"Do I _look_ okay?" I replied shrilly.

"Let me see," he said tentatively. The hair felt disgusting underneath my hands. It was becoming bushy too.

"No!" I snapped, trying to keep it under control. I gave up and turned back to the mirror. The beard was past my chin and was on the verge of reaching my collar. The moustache had joined forces with the beard. I looked absolutely ridiculous.

"Oh man!" Mike gasped, as he got a glimpse of my beard, "What's going on?"

I ignored him, and closely observed the beard. It had now reached the top of my tie, and I couldn't believe how much like a boy I looked. I couldn't help it – I had to laugh.

Mike didn't move. He was staring at me with a stunned expression. Then his lips twitched, and suddenly we were both on the floor, laughing our heads off.

"Look how long it is now!" I chuckled, wiping away my tears of mirth. Mike's shoulders began to shake as he surveyed my beard, which now reached my elbows! He burst out laughing again, and I joined in. However, I was beginning to worry. What if it didn't stop growing? What if it kept going until I had a pool of hair at my feet? What if there was no way to get rid of it? I'd soon be giving Professor Dumbledore a run for his money.

"You'll soon be giving Dumbledore a run for his money," Mike sniggered, scarily reading my mind. He clocked my ashen face and immediately stopped laughing.

"It'll be alright," he said seriously, putting his arm around me.

"No it won't," I whispered, "I'll be the laughing stock of the school. We need to fix it."

"Hospital Wing?" Mike suggested. I chewed my lip. Madam Pomfrey was unable to help me last time. And if I left the bathroom, I could be seen by anyone. Or worse, by Peeves, who would inform the entire school within minutes. Mike obviously sensed my discomfort.

"We could try and resolve it ourselves," he shrugged. My beard was way past waist-length now. I was willing to try anything.

"Okay," I agreed, "What should I do?" We both frowned thoughtfully.

"Were you thinking of anything before it happened?" Mike asked, absently scratching his head. I struggled to remember.

"I was saying I was surprised at how quickly the crystal ball changed," I recalled. Mike pondered over this.

"Well, you were thinking of quickness, which could explain the rate at which your beard is growing," he explained. We both mulled that over.

"That doesn't explain why it's a beard," I groaned. Mike looked equally baffled. Then suddenly his eyes lit up, like they do when he gets an idea for a quidditch move.

"I have an idea," he said slowly, "But it's a bit dumb."

"Anything will be appreciated," I said dryly.

"Well, I get the impression that scissors won't work, as it seems to be magic that's making it happen," he started, "so maybe you should try concentrating really hard on it stopping." It wasn't the best of plans but I decided to give it a go.

I screwed up my eyes and concentrated really hard, harder than I've ever concentrated before.

At first it seemed as though nothing was happening. I felt daft just standing there with my eyes closed. But then I remembered the beard and my determination doubled. I felt a tingling sensation on my chin.

"Wow," I heard Mike gasp. My eyes flew open, and I looked down.

"Oh my," I murmured. The beard was shrinking. Rapidly. Mike and I exchanged shocked glances. After about a minute, the beard was gone completely.

"Did that really just happen?" I asked in amazement, touching my chin. It was completely smooth.

"That was very strange," Mike replied. I thought back to the previous accidents. The bald one had been resolved whilst I'd been a sleep.

"Your hair must have grown back because you were asleep, as your magic levels would've been lower," Mike guessed.

When it was the nose one, my nose had reappeared within seconds.

"Well, I heard from Jake that you were screaming like a banshee, so maybe you kind of flushed it out of you," Mike tried.

Finally, the hairy hand incident had fixed itself when I was unconscious in the Hospital Wing.

"Maybe it just fixed itself because you were unconscious," Mike suggested, "as your magic would probably be really low, if anything."

His explanations seemed accurate, but there was no way of knowing. And who knew if I'd be able to pull it off again?

But most importantly, why was this happening to me?

**A/N Sorry for the long wait, I hope it was worth it though.**

**Thanks to**

**Starrish and Eyed, CRAZYLILDRIVA17, thisischarly & the knights who until recently said NI**

**For reviewing**

**x x**


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